At this time Scotland was becoming Christian and sculptured
stones were created to celebrate the new religion. Carved from
local sandstone, it displays sophisticated artistry and
symbolism.
At some point the stone was toppled and broken, possibly in a
storm in 1674, and the bottom portion lost. In 1676 the original
carving of the Christian cross was chipped off and replaced with an
inscription commemorating a local man, Alexander Duff, and his
three wives.
From the 17th to the mid 19th centuries, the stone remained by
the chapel at Hilton of Cadboll. For much of this time it lay with
the original Pictish carving facing down.
In the 1860s the MacLeods of Cadboll took it to Invergordon
Castle and installed it as a garden ornament.
When the MacLeods sold Invergordon Castle in 1921 they gave the
stone to the British Museum in London. This led to public outcry,
so the stone was returned to Scotland, arriving at the Museum of
Antiquities in Edinburgh later that year. In 1995 the stone was
moved to its current prominent position in the Early People gallery.
Mystery and meaning: Pictish symbols on the stone
The symbols at the top of this slab are found on many other
carved stones from eastern and northern Scotland. The Hilton of
Cadboll slab features some of the most elaborate and intricately
decorated examples of these symbols.
Pictish symbols are unique to Early Historic Scotland and their
meaning is the source of much speculation. If they were part of a
language like Egyptian hieroglyphs, they remain indecipherable.
Pictish symbols are also found on stones that do not feature any
Christian imagery, on high status jewellery, and on smaller stone
and bone objects. Examples of these symbols can be seen in the
‘Glimpses of the Sacred’ section of the Early People gallery.
The hunting scene
The middle panel can be interpreted as an aristocratic
hunting scene. At the bottom of the panel, a deer is being chased
by two large dogs and two armed horsemen. Above this a person is
shown sitting sideways on a horse, with glimpses of a second rider
behind them. To the right are two trumpeters blowing long
horns.
The central character has been interpreted as an important
woman, perhaps someone that people would have recognised when the
stone was carved. The mirror and comb in the top left hand corner
are Pictish symbols traditionally associated with women.
Special care has been taken to add detail to the
carving of this person’s robes and hair. She also wears a large
brooch: surviving examples such as the Hunterston brooch emphasise how elaborate and
prestigious these objects could be.
This hunting scene may illustrate the leisurely lifestyle of the
elite members of society who commissioned the carving of this
stone. However, in Christian art the hunt could also represent
religious conversion and the salvation of the soul, and so a double
meaning of this scene is possible.
The main rider is shown sitting sideways on a horse. Important
people are sometimes shown facing towards the viewer, but in
Christian art the Virgin Mary and Jesus are both depicted riding in
this unusual way. The Hilton of Cadboll stone might be drawing on
this important Christian imagery.